Justin Bieber is a 19 year old, Canadian pop musician and singer/songwriter.  Having his big break from a small YouTube channel discovered by a music agent in 2008, Bieber has now received over 130 awards for his music. Although he has had music success, he has also recently experienced jail time.

Recently, Bieber was arrested for driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, drag racing, driving with an expired license, and resisting arrest. He was put in jail with a bail of $2,500, which was paid and he soon left the jail after eight hours of confinement.

Lane Kohl, a sophomore at AHS, “I do not condone the choices that Justin has made, but I am willing to understand why he did the things he did. The choices that he made are common mistakes made by teenagers and as fans we have to be forgiving.”

Marijuana and alcohol use continues to be a prominent part of todays youth. According to www.drugabuse.gov “36.5% of 12th grade highschool students recreationally use marijuana.” and also, “22.1% of 12th graders addmited to binge drinking within the past two weeks.”

Sadie Sarinski, a sophomore at AHS, says, “Although the choices he had made can be commonly seen in people his age, the way he executed them and the actions he did when he was under the influence of drugs and alcohol, were highly dangerous. The things Bieber did could have physically hurt a lot of people. Bieber owes his fans a great apology for his actions and misuse of being famous.”

Previous to his arrest, there were complaints from neighbors for loud music being played late at night, as well as complaints of high speed driving in the neighborhood by Bieber. Two neighbors moved out of the neighborhood due to Bieber’s bad habits. His actions left the neighbors frustrated because they felt it was unsafe raising a child there.

Kohl says, “The things Justin does in the neighborhood are extremely unsafe and would be horrible to try raising a family around. I would fear my children going outside and running into the streets with Justin’s habits.”

Bieber has been acting out in ways that are common for teenagers, but with fame comes many responsibilities and hopefully his behavior is just a hiccup and will improve with time and experience.

Sarinski says, “I have never been the biggest fan of Bieber’s music but with these actions it has lowered my opinion greatly. I hope that he grows out of this stage of rebellion and will begin making better choices.”